A Golden Chain, Chapter 1 – Chapter 3
CHAP. I. What Repentance is.
REpentance is a worke of grace, arising of a godly sorrow: whereby a man turnes from all his sinnes vntounto God, and brings forth fruits worthie amendment of life.
I call Repentance a worke: because it seemes not to be a qualitie, or vertue, or habit: but an action of a repentant sinner. Which appeares by the sermons of the Prophets and Apostles, which runne in this tenour, Repent, turne to God, amend your liues, &c. Whereby they intimate, that Repentance is a worke to be done.
Againe, Repentance is not eueryevery kind of worke, but a worke of grace; because it can not be practised of any, but of such as be in the estate of grace. Reasons are these. I. No man can repent, vnlesse he first hate sinne, and louelove righteousnes; and none can hate sinne, vnlesse he be sanctified; and he that is sanctified is iustified: and he that is iustified must needes hauehave that faith which vnites him to Christ, and makes him bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh. Wherefore he that repents is iustified and sanctified, and made a member of Christ by faith. II. He that turnes to God, must first of all be turned of God: and after that we are turned, then we repent.Ier. 31.19. Surely after I was conuerted I repented: and after that I was instructed I smote vponupon my thigh: I was ashamed, yea, euen confounded, because I did beare the reproch of my youth.
Some may obiect, that repentance goes before all grace, because it is first preached. The first sermon that euer was made, was of repentance, preached by God himselfe in Paradise to our first parents. And euer since the sermons of all the Prophets and Apostles, and of all faithfull ministers hauehave had repentance for their beginning and scope. The answer hereto may be this: If we respect the order of nature, there be other graces of God which goe before repentance: because a mans conscience must in some sort be setled touching his reconciliation with God in Christ, before he can begin to repent. Wherefore iustification and sanctification in order of nature goe before repentance. But if we respect time, grace and repentance are both together. So soone as there is fire, so soone it is hote: and so soone as a man is regenerate, so soone he repents. If we respect the outward manifestation of these twaine, repentance goes before all other graces: because it first of all appeares outwardly. Regeneration is like the sappe of the tree that lies hid within the barke: repentance is like the budde that speedily shewes it selfe, before either blossome, leafe, or fruit appeare: yea, all other graces of the heart which are needfull to saluation, are made manifest by repentance. And for this cause Repentance (as I take it) is first preached.
I adde further, that repentance riseth of a godly sorrow in the heart, as Paul teacheth.2. Cor. 7.10. Godly sorrow causeth repentance vntounto saluation neuer to be repented of. It is called a godly sorrow, or a sorrow according to God, that it may be distinguished from worldly sorrow: which is a griefe arising of the apprehension of the wrath of God and other miseries; as feare of men, losse of good name, calamities in goods and other things, which in this life follow as punishments of sinne: whereas the godly sorrow causeth griefe for sinne, because it is sinne. And it makes any man, in whome it is, to be of this disposition & minde, that if there were no conscience to accuse, no diuell to terrifie, no iudge to arraigne & condemne, no hel to torment, yet he would be humbled & brought on his knees for his sinnes, because he hath offended a louing, mercifull, and long suffering God.
Further I say, that repentance stands in turning againe to God. Man at the first was made a goodly creature in the image of God, hauing fellowship with him, whereby he dwelt in God, and God in him. By sinne there is a partition made betweene God and man:Isa. 59.2. Eph. 4.18. who is alienated and estranged from God, and is become the childe of wrath, a firebrand of hell, the prodigall child going from his father into a farre countrey, the straying, nay the lost sheepe. Now when men hauehave grace to repent, then they begin to renew this fellowship, and turne againe to God. And the very essence or nature of repentance consists in this turning. Which Paul doth seeme to intimate, when he saith,Act. 16.20. That he shewed both to Iew and Gentile, that they should repent and turne to God, and do works worthie amendment of life. In which words he sets downe vntounto vsus a ful description of repentance.
Againe I say, that repentance is a turning from sinne, because it doth not abolish or change the substance of bodie or soule, or any of the faculties therof either in whole or part: but onelyonly rectifie and amend them by remoouing the corruption. It turnes the sadnesse of melancholy to godly sorrow, choller to good zeale, softnesse of nature to meekenes of spirit, madnesse and lightn…sse to Christian mirth: it reformes eueryevery man according to his naturall constitution, not abolishing it, but redressing the fault of it.
Further I put downe, that repentance is a turning from all sinne to God, that I may exclude many false turnings. The first, when a man turnes from God to sinne: as when one of a Protestant becomes a Papist, an Arrian a … milist. The second, when a man turnes from one sinne to an other. As when the riotous person leaues his prodigalitie, and giues himselfe to the practise of couetousnes: this can be no repentāce: because it is a going from one extreame to an other, whereas repentance is to leaue the extreames & keepe the meane. The third is, not when a man turnes from sinne, but sinne turnes from him and leaues him. As when the drunkard leaues drunkennesse, because his stomacke is decaied: the fornicatour his vncleannes, because the strength of nature failes him: the quarreller his fighting, because he is maymed on legge or arme. The last is, when men turne from many sinnes, but will not turne from all. As Herod did many things at the aduertisement of Iohn Baptist, but could not be brought to leaue incest, in hauing his brother Philips wife; This repentance is nothing. For as he which is truly regenerate, is wholly in bodie, soule, and spirit regenerate: so he which truly repents, turnes from all sinne, and turnes wholly to God.
Neither is this to trouble any, that they can not know all their sinnes: for sound repentance for one speciall sinne, brings with it repentance of all sinne. And as God requires particular repentance for knowne sinnes, so he accepts a generall repentance for such as be vnknowne.
To proceede further, the conuersion of a sinner in repentance, hath three parts. The first, a purpose and resolution in the mind: the second, an inclination in the will and affections: the third, an indeauour in life and conuersation, to abandon and leaue all his former sinnes, and to imploy himselfe in obedience to Gods commandements.
Lastly, this repentance must bring forth fruits worthie amendment of life: because it cannot be knowne to be sincere, vnlesse it bring forth fruit. Repentant sinners are trees of righteousnes of Gods owne planting:Isa. 61.3. and they grow by the waters that flow out of the sanctuarie, and therefore they must beare fruit that may serue for meate, & leafe for medicine: Eze. 47.12. Math. 3.10.otherwise the axe of Gods iudgment is laid to their rootes to stocke them vp.
CHAP. II. Of the causes of Repentance.
THe principall cause of Repentance is the Spirit of God, as Paul saith, Instructing them with meekenesse that are contrarie minded, proouing if God at any time will giuegive them repentance. 2. Tim. 2. 25 Ier. 31.18.And Ieremie, Conuert thou me, and I shall be conuerted.
The instrument of the holy Ghost in working repentance, is the ministery of the Gospell onelyonly, and not the law. Reasons hereof are these. I. Faith is engendred by the preaching not of the Law, but of the Gospell, as Paul saith, The Gospel is the power of God to saluation to all that beleeue from faith to faith: Rom. 1.18.therefore repentance which follows faith as a fruit thereof, must needes come by the preaching of the Gospel onelyonly. II. The Law is the ministerie of death and damnation: …. Cor. 3.7.because it shewes a man his wretched estate; but shewes him no remedie: therefore it can not be an instrumentall cause of that repentance which is effectuall to saluation. III. The doctrine of repentance is a part of the Gospel:Luk. 9.6. cum Mat. 6. 12. Luk. 24.4.7. which appeares in this, that the preaching of repentance, and the preaching of the Gospel are put one for an other. And our Sauiour Christ deuides the Gospel into two parts: the preaching of repentance, and remission of sinnes in his name. IV. That part of the word which workes repentance, must reueale the nature of it, and set out the promise of life which belongs vntounto it. But the Law neither reueales faith nor repentance: this is a proper worke of the Gospel. If it be said, that the Law is a schoolemaster to bring vsus to Christ, the answer is, it brings men to Christ not by teaching the way, or by alluring them;Vrgendo non alliciendo. but by forcing and vrging them.
Neither doe we abolish the law, in ascribing the worke of repentance to the Gospel onelyonly: for though it be no cause, yet is it an occasion of true repentance. Because it represents vntounto the eye of the soule our damnable estate, & smites the conscience with dolefull terrours and feares, which though they be no tokens of grace (for they are in their owne nature the very gates and the downefall to the pit of hell) yet they are certaine occasions of receiuing grace. The phisitian is otherwhiles constrained to recouer the health of his patient by casting him into some fits of an ague: so man, because he is deadly sicke of the disease of sinne, must be cast into some fits of Legal terrors by the ministerie of the law, that he may recouer his former estate, & come to life euerlasting.
Repentance also is furthered by calamities, which in this case often come in the roome & stead of the law. Iosephs brethren, when they were in distresse in Egypt, said one to another,Gen. 42.21. Wee hauehave verely sinned against our brother, in that we sawe the anguish of his soule when he besought vsus, and we would not heare him: therefore is this trouble come vponupon vsus. And the Lord saith in Oseah,Ose. 5.15. I will goe & returne to my place, till they acknowledge their fault and seeke me; in their affliction will they seeke me diligently. And the Israelites say,Lam. 3. 20. 2. Chr. 33. 12. Psal. 119.71. My soule had them (many afflictions) in remembrance, and is humbled in me. Example of Manasses. And whē he was in tribulation, he praied to the Lord his God, and humbled himselfe greatly. And Dauid saith, It is good for me that I hauehave beene afflicted, that I might learne thy statutes.
CHAP. III. Howe Repentance is wrought.
REpentance is wrought in the heart by certaine steps and degrees. First of all a man must hauehave knowledge of foure things, namely of the law of god, of sinne against the lawe, of the guilt of sinne, and of the iudgement of God …gainst sinne, which is the eternall wrath of God.
Then in the second place must follow the Application of the former knowledge to a mans owne person, by the worke of the conscience assisted by the holy Ghost, which for that cause is called the spirit of bondage: Rom. 8.15.and this application is made in a forme of reasoning, called a practical syllogisme, on this manner:
The breaker of the lawe is guiltie of eternall death, saith the minde:
But I am a breaker of the lawe of God, saith the conscience, as a witnesse and an accuser:
Therefore I am guilty of eternall death, saith the same conscience, as a iudge.
Thirdly from this application thus made ariseth feare and sorrow in respect of Gods iudgements against sinne,Act. 2.3…. commonly called the sting of the conscience, or penitence, and the compunction of heart.
Now this compunction, vnlesse it be delayed by the comforts of the Gospell, brings men to desperation, and to eternall damnation. Therefore he that wil repent to life euerlasting must goe foure steps further. First he must hauehave knowledge of the gospel, and enter into a serious consideration of the mercy of God therein reuealed. Then must follow the application of the former knowledge by the conscience, renewed and assisted by the spirit of adoption, on this manner:
He that is guiltie of eternall death, if he denie himselfe, and put his affiance on the death of Christ, shall hauehave righteousnesse and life eternall, saith the minde enlightned by the knowledge of the Gospell:
But I beeing guiltie of eternall death, denie my selfe, and put all my affiance in the death of Christ, saith the conscience renued by the spirit of adoption:
Therefore I shall hauehave righteousnesse and life euerlasting by Christ.
Thirdly after this application there followes ioy and sorrow: ioy, because a mans sinnes are pardoned in Christ: sorrow, because a man by his sinnes hath displeased him which hath beene so louing and mercifull a God vntounto him.
Lastly, after this godly sorrow …ollowes Repentance, called a Transmentatation or turning of the minde, whereby a man determines and r…solues with himselfe to sinne no more as he hath done, but to liue in newnes of life.